Imagine your birthday is coming up. Your friends are all preparing a blast for your big day. The day is approaching & everyone is really busy.
But busy with what? Busy with THEMSELVES. They are busy buying new clothes for themselves. They order a cake according to their own taste, which is something you don’t like. They buy presents for themselves & each other (for gift exchange), but not a single gift for you. No one cares one bit about you!
Finally, the day arrives. It seems that they even forgot to invite you for the function! But the banner on the entrance says it’s your birthday. So, you just walk in anyway. The people seem to be a little embarrassed about you being there. Someone notices you, and ushers you in, for courtesy sake. Those who pass by wish you a very ‘Happy Birthday!’ for formality.
You sit & wait as the party goes on. Everyone is dressed to kill. You appear dressed down for the occasion. They’re drinking & dancing to their heart’s fill. Even the cake doesn’t have your name on it.
You’ve done so much for these people. That guy Bob over there - you saved him from drowing in the river last year! That girl Sally on your left - you gave her your car when she lost her job! That boy Johnny in front - you adopted him as your child when he was begging on the streets. That girl Janet over there - you saved her from the prostitution ring & gave her a new life. That man, Kenny - you forgave him even after he backstabbed you. Those colleagues in front - you've been nothing but nice to them! And to think that you even sponsored the food & money for the whole celebration!
Yet, ABSOLUTELY NOTHING is about you. Nobody appreciates you. You get up & silently leave. No one even notices that you’ve left. Yet, the party goes on the whole night – celebrating YOUR birthday!
How would you feel if people did that to you, for your birthday?
Hurt? Angry? Upset? Insulted? Would you cry? Would you feel like burning the whole place down & just walking off?
Well, you know what? We do that to one person, every single year, yet he is so patient with us.
Every year, the whole world is excited about Christmas, whether or not we call ourselves Christians. We decorate the tree. The kids wait to see Santa Clause. We buy presents for each other. We shop for new clothes. We organize big dinners & parties. People get drunk & dance like there’s no tomorrow on Christmas eve. Many even continue to have a ‘one-night stand’ after losing control with partners who are not their husband / wife.
And what’s the occasion? CHRISTMAS!
For goodness sake, do we even know what is Christmas to Christians?
Christmas is the day we symbolically celebrate God’s gift to mankind. It’s the day we thank God for sending His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to be born in this earth. Jesus came to live a holy life, & die to pay for OUR sins.
We are supposed to be celebrating Jesus’ birthday!
But does it look like we do? Does our celebration have anything to do with Christ? Do we teach the kids that Christmas is about Christ? (not Santa Claus).
Do we obey His rules of holiness as we live, & when we celebrate. Or are we sinning instead?
Do we take Christmas as a day to think back just how much the Lord loves us? Do we appreciate God's gift to us?
At the end of the day, we have made Christmas, a celebration for our OWN SELF. It’s a commercialized event where the stores are only interested in selling us things. We are only interested about buying ourselves things. We want to eat, drink & party! We love Santa Clause.
It has nothing to do with Jesus Christ or God anymore. We are having a celebration, where we don’t even want to invite the Birthday Boy for the occasion!
How have we treated God? Do we thank God for Christ? What is our gift to Him?
Are you willing to give Him your life, by obeying His Word?
This is something for us to seriously think about, this Christmas...
But busy with what? Busy with THEMSELVES. They are busy buying new clothes for themselves. They order a cake according to their own taste, which is something you don’t like. They buy presents for themselves & each other (for gift exchange), but not a single gift for you. No one cares one bit about you!
Finally, the day arrives. It seems that they even forgot to invite you for the function! But the banner on the entrance says it’s your birthday. So, you just walk in anyway. The people seem to be a little embarrassed about you being there. Someone notices you, and ushers you in, for courtesy sake. Those who pass by wish you a very ‘Happy Birthday!’ for formality.
You sit & wait as the party goes on. Everyone is dressed to kill. You appear dressed down for the occasion. They’re drinking & dancing to their heart’s fill. Even the cake doesn’t have your name on it.
You’ve done so much for these people. That guy Bob over there - you saved him from drowing in the river last year! That girl Sally on your left - you gave her your car when she lost her job! That boy Johnny in front - you adopted him as your child when he was begging on the streets. That girl Janet over there - you saved her from the prostitution ring & gave her a new life. That man, Kenny - you forgave him even after he backstabbed you. Those colleagues in front - you've been nothing but nice to them! And to think that you even sponsored the food & money for the whole celebration!
Yet, ABSOLUTELY NOTHING is about you. Nobody appreciates you. You get up & silently leave. No one even notices that you’ve left. Yet, the party goes on the whole night – celebrating YOUR birthday!
How would you feel if people did that to you, for your birthday?
Hurt? Angry? Upset? Insulted? Would you cry? Would you feel like burning the whole place down & just walking off?
Well, you know what? We do that to one person, every single year, yet he is so patient with us.
Every year, the whole world is excited about Christmas, whether or not we call ourselves Christians. We decorate the tree. The kids wait to see Santa Clause. We buy presents for each other. We shop for new clothes. We organize big dinners & parties. People get drunk & dance like there’s no tomorrow on Christmas eve. Many even continue to have a ‘one-night stand’ after losing control with partners who are not their husband / wife.
And what’s the occasion? CHRISTMAS!
For goodness sake, do we even know what is Christmas to Christians?
Christmas is the day we symbolically celebrate God’s gift to mankind. It’s the day we thank God for sending His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to be born in this earth. Jesus came to live a holy life, & die to pay for OUR sins.
We are supposed to be celebrating Jesus’ birthday!
But does it look like we do? Does our celebration have anything to do with Christ? Do we teach the kids that Christmas is about Christ? (not Santa Claus).
Do we obey His rules of holiness as we live, & when we celebrate. Or are we sinning instead?
Do we take Christmas as a day to think back just how much the Lord loves us? Do we appreciate God's gift to us?
At the end of the day, we have made Christmas, a celebration for our OWN SELF. It’s a commercialized event where the stores are only interested in selling us things. We are only interested about buying ourselves things. We want to eat, drink & party! We love Santa Clause.
It has nothing to do with Jesus Christ or God anymore. We are having a celebration, where we don’t even want to invite the Birthday Boy for the occasion!
How have we treated God? Do we thank God for Christ? What is our gift to Him?
Are you willing to give Him your life, by obeying His Word?
This is something for us to seriously think about, this Christmas...
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